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Chulalongkorn hospital near breaking point over intake of flu cases
By Piyanart Srivalo
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation
Published on July 18, 2009
Chulalongkorn Hospital is being burdened with handling the 2009 influenza cases to a point which it may not longer be able to cope with in the near future, a government meeting on the subject was told yesterday.
A senior hospital doctor made the statement in the meeting at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and said he feared that the anticipated public panic at a larger scale would worsen the situation. The hospital is examining thousands of people with flu symptoms while treating hundreds of confirmed cases each day.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who chaired the meeting, repeated his stance over the proposed ban on public gatherings which was once again raised by the hospital staff who were in the meeting. He cited legal complications and social subsequences as the obstacles to ordering the ban.
Abhisit said he had learned of reports that the 2009 influenza had been exploited for political purposes, in order to discredit the government in handling the disease. He later ordered the foundation to conduct a survey to determine the number of people who caught the 2009 influenza but experienced mild symptoms.
The survey is meant to reveal the exact number of these patients who were expected to eventually survive, so that the antiflu drug would be saved for those really in need, or serious conditions.
Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry yesterday came up with its new campaign to alert people making hand made face mask after found that face masks were in short supply.
Despite the public panic over the pandemic of influenza A (H1N1), Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said most of people have crowded to the supermarket and convenient store to buy facemask as the preventive tool to prevent the respiratory disease infection.
Now, facemasks were out of stock and rarely available in the market, he added. Even the Ministry of Commerce has ordered merchants across country to not stock the facemask and sell with much more higher price than direct cost. But some of shopkeeper has took this opportunity to sold facemask to customer with expensive price. The price was increased from the direct cost from Bt 1 to Bt 20, said Witthaya.
As the market or sell with the expensive price, the Health Ministry has launch the campaign so called " The Mask of Hero D.I.Y (Do It Yourself)" which encouraging people make face mask by themselves and being vigilance to wear face mask when they go around public space to prevent the spread of flu virus to other.
The new flu virus could spread in the air with 1 metres to 5 metres radius when people with respiratory disease are sneezing or coughing. So family member would have higher risk to get infection.
Witthaya said the hand made face mask could reduce the infection and the spread of virus with more than 90 percent.
As apart of the campaign, the Health Ministry also invited general people to attend the hand made face mask design competition. The winner will be awarded Bt 10,000. The application day will open from now until August 14. The competition's result will be announced on August 21.
In the meantime, Deputy Public Health Minister, Manit Noppamornbhodi said he has ordered the ministry to produce the name card sized manual to dissemination information to public about selfcare when they develop flulike symptoms.
The manuals will be distributed at 5,000 branches of grocery shop seven eleven and 500 branches of supermarket Tesco Lotus.
By Piyanart Srivalo
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation
Published on July 18, 2009
Chulalongkorn Hospital is being burdened with handling the 2009 influenza cases to a point which it may not longer be able to cope with in the near future, a government meeting on the subject was told yesterday.
A senior hospital doctor made the statement in the meeting at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and said he feared that the anticipated public panic at a larger scale would worsen the situation. The hospital is examining thousands of people with flu symptoms while treating hundreds of confirmed cases each day.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who chaired the meeting, repeated his stance over the proposed ban on public gatherings which was once again raised by the hospital staff who were in the meeting. He cited legal complications and social subsequences as the obstacles to ordering the ban.
Abhisit said he had learned of reports that the 2009 influenza had been exploited for political purposes, in order to discredit the government in handling the disease. He later ordered the foundation to conduct a survey to determine the number of people who caught the 2009 influenza but experienced mild symptoms.
The survey is meant to reveal the exact number of these patients who were expected to eventually survive, so that the antiflu drug would be saved for those really in need, or serious conditions.
Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry yesterday came up with its new campaign to alert people making hand made face mask after found that face masks were in short supply.
Despite the public panic over the pandemic of influenza A (H1N1), Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said most of people have crowded to the supermarket and convenient store to buy facemask as the preventive tool to prevent the respiratory disease infection.
Now, facemasks were out of stock and rarely available in the market, he added. Even the Ministry of Commerce has ordered merchants across country to not stock the facemask and sell with much more higher price than direct cost. But some of shopkeeper has took this opportunity to sold facemask to customer with expensive price. The price was increased from the direct cost from Bt 1 to Bt 20, said Witthaya.
As the market or sell with the expensive price, the Health Ministry has launch the campaign so called " The Mask of Hero D.I.Y (Do It Yourself)" which encouraging people make face mask by themselves and being vigilance to wear face mask when they go around public space to prevent the spread of flu virus to other.
The new flu virus could spread in the air with 1 metres to 5 metres radius when people with respiratory disease are sneezing or coughing. So family member would have higher risk to get infection.
Witthaya said the hand made face mask could reduce the infection and the spread of virus with more than 90 percent.
As apart of the campaign, the Health Ministry also invited general people to attend the hand made face mask design competition. The winner will be awarded Bt 10,000. The application day will open from now until August 14. The competition's result will be announced on August 21.
In the meantime, Deputy Public Health Minister, Manit Noppamornbhodi said he has ordered the ministry to produce the name card sized manual to dissemination information to public about selfcare when they develop flulike symptoms.
The manuals will be distributed at 5,000 branches of grocery shop seven eleven and 500 branches of supermarket Tesco Lotus.